Which Tshwane tariff are you on?
Most Pretoria and Centurion homes supplied by the City are on the domestic standard supply tariff shown in the table above. The City is clear that prepaid and conventional (credit) meters pay the same: "The electricity tariffs for both prepaid and conventional (postpaid) meters are charged the same c/kWh per unit of consumption" (City of Tshwane on tariffs and metering). If you have heard that prepaid costs more in Tshwane, it doesn't on the published tariff.
The rates climb in four blocks each month:
| Monthly use | Published rate (from 1 July 2026) |
|---|
| 1 to 100 kWh | 324.12 c/kWh |
| 101 to 400 kWh | 379.32 c/kWh |
| 401 to 650 kWh | 413.27 c/kWh |
| More than 650 kWh | 445.51 c/kWh |
These are the figures in the City's article It's hike time: Tariff increases to hit Tshwane residents (2 July 2026). The article publishes no fixed or service charge for this tariff. Three-phase demand supplies and bulk complexes are on other scales in the City's schedule.
Not every address in the metro is a City customer. The City's own embedded generation policy notes that "Eskom consumers residing in the City of Tshwane's jurisdiction area" deal with Eskom instead. If your bill or token slip comes from Eskom, use the Eskom rows on the national tariff tracker.
What changed on 1 July 2026
NERSA approved a 9.01% increase in the bulk price Eskom charges municipalities from 1 July 2026 (NERSA, 12 March 2026). The City says its own selling tariffs rose by 8.8% from 1 July 2026, as part of the approved 2026/27 budget (City article, 2 July 2026). Because the blocks climb, the more you use in a month, the higher the average price of each unit.
Why SolarGuide doesn't price Tshwane per kWh
Everywhere else on the tracker, we add 15% VAT where a document publishes prices excluding VAT, then spread fixed charges across your use to give an all-in price. For Tshwane we can't do that honestly.
The City's 2 July 2026 article gives the rates without saying whether they include VAT. The Council-tabled draft 2026/27 tariff schedule (March 2026) is headed "excluding VAT" and shows the same figures for three of the four blocks. That suggests the published rates exclude VAT, but a draft is not the approved schedule, and we could not find the final approved electricity annexure online. If the rates are before VAT, your real price per kWh is 15% higher than the figures above. If they already include it, it isn't.
So we show the rates as the City publishes them, and leave the rand conversion out until the City states the basis. The City's own worked example in the same article is useful: 500 kWh costs R1,875.35 (100 kWh at 324.12 c, 300 kWh at 379.32 c and 100 kWh at 413.27 c). Whether VAT sits on top of that is the open question. Before you compare a solar quote with your Tshwane bill, check the VAT line on your own municipal account or prepaid slip.
Solar in Tshwane: what the City requires
Register before you connect
The City's embedded generation policy applies to every generator connected to its network, and its frequently asked questions say feeding power back without approval is not allowed, chiefly because unsafe systems can endanger staff working on a line they believe is dead. Applications and enquiries go to [email protected].
The City's Embedded Generation Policy and Requirements, tabled at Council in August 2025, sets out the rest:
- Approved inverters. You need type-test certificates from an accredited test house showing the inverter complies with NRS 097-2-1. Ask the supplier for the certificate before you buy.
- Professional sign-off. Commissioning must be signed off by an ECSA-registered professional engineer or technologist.
- Process. Submit the application form at your regional customer care office. It goes to the Renewable Energy Office, which may inspect the site and then approves or declines. After installation, you submit the commissioning documents and receive final connection approval.
- Meter. Residential solar customers move to the embedded generation tariff, and the City installs a bi-directional meter at your cost.
- Stay a net consumer. Only customers who use more from the grid than they generate, averaged over 12 months, are allowed.
Size limits that affect your system
The requirements cap generation on a shared low-voltage feeder at 25% of your notified maximum demand, up to 20 kVA. Applied to standard supplies, that gives a single-phase 60A home 3.45 kVA (25% of 13.8 kVA), a single-phase 80A home 4.6 kVA and a three-phase 60A or 80A home 13.8 kVA (4.6 kVA per phase). The printed table in the proposed policy misaligns its circuit-breaker labels, so these are the NRS 097-2-3 figures it is based on. The limit is measured at the inverter output, not the panels. A typical 5 kW single-phase inverter is above that line, so ask your installer how the design meets the City's limit before you sign.
Fixed charges and export credits for solar homes
The draft 2026/27 schedule proposes a monthly fixed charge for domestic embedded generation customers of R324.00 (up from R297.80), on top of normal energy charges. It also proposes a credit of 94.13 c/kWh for excess energy exported (up from 86.52 c/kWh). These are draft figures. The City's FAQ quotes an older export rate, and a 2024 City article said the crediting process was still being developed. Confirm both numbers with [email protected] before you rely on them.
Either way, the sums favour using your solar power yourself. Each unit you don't buy saves between 324.12 c and 445.51 c on the published scale. A unit exported earns a proposed 94.13 c, and a solar home may pay a fixed charge it didn't pay before. Run geysers and pumps in the middle of the day, and use a battery to cover the evening. For Pretoria-specific advice, see our Pretoria solar guide and Centurion guide.
Your next step
- Check how much solar your roof can take with the solar roof-fit calculator.
- See what your geyser costs to run with the geyser cost calculator.
- Compare Tshwane's published rates with Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Eskom on the 2026/27 tariff tracker, and read our SSEG registration guide.
Alumo installs, finances and warrants the systems; SolarGuide helps you compare and get a free quote. Alumo's rent-to-own Watt-a-Deal starts from R1,449 a month over seven years (with 6.5% annual escalation), and subscriptions start from R1,499 a month.
Get a free solar quote →
Frequently asked questions
What are Tshwane prepaid electricity rates for 2026/27?
The City publishes 324.12 c/kWh for the first 100 kWh, 379.32 c/kWh from 101 to 400 kWh, 413.27 c/kWh from 401 to 650 kWh and 445.51 c/kWh above 650 kWh, effective 1 July 2026. Prepaid and credit meters pay the same rates.
Do Tshwane's published electricity rates include VAT?
The City's July 2026 article doesn't say. The March 2026 draft schedule with matching figures is headed "excluding VAT", so they are probably before VAT, but we have not found a final approved document confirming it. Check the VAT line on your own account.
How much did Tshwane electricity increase in 2026?
The City says its electricity tariffs rose 8.8% from 1 July 2026. NERSA's increase in Eskom's bulk price to municipalities was 9.01%.
Does Tshwane pay for solar power exported to the grid?
Only for approved embedded generation customers with a bi-directional meter. The draft 2026/27 schedule proposes 94.13 c/kWh, but treat that as unconfirmed until the City confirms the approved rate and that crediting is active.
Is there a fixed charge for solar homes in Tshwane?
The draft 2026/27 schedule proposes R324.00 a month per metering point for domestic embedded generation customers, whether or not you use electricity. Ask the City to confirm the approved figure when you apply.
Sources and review note
Checked on 21 October 2026. Published rates and the 8.8% increase come from the City of Tshwane article It's hike time: Tariff increases to hit Tshwane residents (2 July 2026). The VAT heading, embedded generation fixed charge and export credit come from the draft 2026/27 MTREF tariff schedule (March 2026, Part I and item 22, printed p745), because the final approved annexure was not found online. Prepaid and credit parity is from the City's tariffs and metering statement and FAQ. Registration rules and size limits come from the City's Embedded Generation Policy and Requirements (Council, August 2025). The bulk increase is from NERSA's 12 March 2026 statement. SolarGuide has not converted Tshwane's rates into rand totals because the VAT basis is not stated.